Something Old, Something New
by animazing23
Summary: A new school year means new students for the Soul Eater gang to invite in. How will the freshmen do on their first year at the DWMA? *full of OCs from various authors that submitted to OC Challenge. Enjoy!*
1. Intro: Chance and Alex

**Okay, despite the comments and reviews that I've been getting, I've decided to push through with this story. In case you don't know, I spent about a week collecting Ocs from various authors, then choosing my favorite to be in this new story. I you want to see info on the Ocs or who made them, go to my profile and check out a fanfic called the OC Challenge. So, the way it's going to start is each pair is going to get their own chapter so that they can be properly introduced. This first chapter will focus on my personal favorite meister and weapon that I've paired together. Hope you enjoy it!**

A loud knock on the front door awoke the young girl lying on her bed, lost in her dreams. Her eyes opened slightly as she squinted at the unfamiliar plain wall, greeting her in her wake. Then she remembered that she was staying in one of the small apartments that Death City offered until she got a partner. _If _she got a partner.

As she sat up, she groggily wondered if she had dreamt about the loud, disruptive noise, but was corrected by it repeating itself yet again. Groaning as she swung her legs to dangle over the side of the bed, she rubbed her eyes and stretched, trying to stall to see if this person at her door would leave. She glanced at the clock hanging on her wall and squeaked with surprise that the time read 2:23 p.m.

_Holy crap! Did I really sleep in that late? And on my first day in Death City! Stupid Alex! Stupid!_

Hopping off of her bed, she ran to her closet and pulled out her favorite pair of black and grey frayed stone washed jeans and a comfortable gray hoodie with black sleeves. After getting completely dressed, she vaguely wondered if her visitor was still there. Her question was answered by a louder, more insistent knock, causing her muscles to tense slightly.

_Who could possibly want to talk to me this badly? Okay, just calm down Alex. It's probably nothing._

Still, she couldn't help but feel skeptical as she walked to the front door of her small apartment and peered through the peephole curiously. She saw a girl with big green eyes and ash blonde pigtails holding a clipboard with a stack of papers on top of it. The girl was shifting from foot to foot awkwardly, biting her lip as if she were contemplating whether to knock again or just leave. Well, it didn't look suspicious, so Alex unlocked the door and opened it slowly.

"What is it?"

The visitor's forest green eyes widened slightly at her sudden appearance, then her face broke in a sincere smile. "Hi, I'm looking for-" she paused slightly as she squinted at the text on the clipboard she held, "-Alexis Brady?"

"Well, you've found her," Alex replied warily.

"It's so great to meet you!" the girl said as she shifted the papers to one hand so she could hold out the other for Alex to shake. As Alex uncertainly obliged, the girl said, "I'm Maka Albarn. I'll be a junior this year at the DWMA and I volunteered to help some of the incoming freshmen get settled."

Alex retracted her hand and tugged down at the sleeves of her hoodie, feeling a little uncomfortable at Maka's gushing personality. "That's nice."

Maka's smile faltered slightly as she noticed Alex's shy demeanor, then her eyes shifted to the papers in her hand. "So, I just came to invite you to the opening party this evening. All the freshmen are to attend and this is a great opportunity to choose a weapon or meister partner," she said enthusiastically, hoping for some sort of response. Alex paled slightly and she put out a hand against the frame of the door to steady herself. She looked like she was about to be sick.

"That's…..great."

"Um, it's completely casual. You don't have to wear a dress or anything. It's really just more of a way for everybody to get to know eachother."

Silence.

"And there will be lots of food and music and dancing. It's normally a big hit to start off the beginning of the year." Maka looked at Alex expectantly, but saw that her reassuring words weren't getting through to her. "Well, I hope you go. You won't get another chance like this to find a great partner to work with. Here's the information," she said as she handed Alex a bright yellow flier with the details of the event. Glancing down at the rest of list on her clipboard, Maka sighed heavily. "Hey, I gotta run and tell all the other freshmen, so good luck Alexis," she said sincerely as she turned to leave.

Alex stayed frozen in place as her visitor took the steps away from her apartment. Before Maka turned to walk down the street, she glanced back up at the quiet girl and shouted a few last words of advice. "Just remember to choose your partner wisely, Alex. It might just be one of the most important decisions you make here. And have fun!" she called out before jogging in a different direction.

Alex clutched the piece of paper in her hand, then shut the door and locked it before retreating to the kitchen and sitting down at the dining table. She rested her head in her hands as depressing thoughts raced through her brain.

_That's just perfect. Another party where I'm ignored like I don't even exist. I know how this is going to work out; it's the same every year. Everybody gets along and has a great time chatting it up and finding a partner and I'm left sitting in the corner and watching it all. I guess it's partly my fault. I don't talk to anybody, so why would anybody want to be partners with me?_

Lifting her head up wearily, she glanced down at her arm where the sleeve had accidentally been pushed up. Ugly scars traced her fair skin and made her grimace at the painful memories. Biting her lip, she yanked the sleeve back down and pushed her chair away from the table to walk back into her bedroom. She was planning on collapsing on top of her bed, but stopped when she noticed her guitar propped up on the foot of her bed. Sitting down on the edge, she reached a hand over and plucked a string, disinterestedly.

_Who wants to be friends with a freak?_

**_(later on that evening)_**

Arriving at the house where this party was being held wasn't exactly difficult. Hundreds of other freshmen walked the streets in the same direction, smiling and laughing and walking in groups, already having made friends with ease. As Alex glanced at them in envy, she wondered if she was going to show up underdressed. All the other freshmen girls seemed to be wearing skirts or dresses, or at least nice looking clothes. Alex decided not to change out of her jeans and sweatshirt after sightseeing all day. Maka did say it was casual, right?

Her red converse scraped agaisnt the cobblestone street as she dragged her feet. She was so not in the partying mood tonight. In fact, she was never in the partying mood. Parties meant dancing, laughter, games, and…..friends. She was definitely lacking in the latter.

Speaking of which, a particular group of girls were drifting close to her as they chatted mindlessly. Alex tried to ignore them as they got closer and closer, making her feel slightly claustrophobic. It was only when one of them almost ran into her that they finally noticed her and corrected their course at a safer distance away. Alex sighed and her shoulders sagged as she kicked a stray rock in the streets.

_What is it about me that turns people off? Is it my bright red hair? Is it my almost black eyes or my heavy eyeliner? Is it the way I dress? Do I scare people?_

Alex shook her head slightly to clear her mind of these questions as a large house loomed in the distance. All the lights were on and loud music pounded through the night and grew gradually louder as she got closer. Well, this seemed to be the place. Gallows Mansion.

Alex walked hesitantly while the other freshmen pushed past her, eager to get inside and join the fun. When she finally reached the front door, the loud blasts of music almost knocked her off her feet. Inside, the room was filled with colorful flashing lights that moved to the rhythm of the pounding music. Teenagers filled the room, most of them in the center which seemed to act as the dance floor while others chatted in small groups scattered across the room. Tables with food and drinks lined the walls and looked like they were being put to good use, but Alex was still trying to get over the sheer size of this place.

_Wow, somebody actually lives here?_

Her thoughts were cut short as she was rudely shoved by a group of boys who immediately ran to the dance floor, laughing like idiots. Scowling and brushing herself off, Alex picked her way through the crowd to one of the empty tables off in the corner of the room. She settled herself in for a long night.

The volume of the room increased as cheers arose when a new popular song came on the speakers. Alex watched the movement of the pulsing crowd as they danced to the beat. Some people were jumping around like hyper idiots while others showed style and skill in their dancing. Some danced in groups while others had their eyes closed and danced alone, completely unaware of the others around them. Some looked nervous as they danced with others, clearly trying to impress eachother for possible partnership while others looked natural and carefree. But as Alex's eyes surfed the crowd, one guy in particular caught her attention apart from all others.

He had nice blonde hair, a handsome face, and wore a green and yellow letter jacket. Although he was tall with broad shoulders and didn't seem well built for dancing, he danced as if he had been doing it his whole life. His movements were fluid and natural and matched the music perfectly. He wasn't dancing with anybody else, but it seemed like everybody else was dancing with him, like he had some sort of gravitational pull. Girls line up on the wall and watched him, giggling and whispering amongst themselves as they kept their eyes trained on him. He didn't even seem to notice as he continued dancing like he had forgotten the rest of the world. When the second verse ended and the chorus began again, he looked in Alex's direction and paused as he met her eyes. Alex froze, caught in the act, and looked away abruptly.

_There is no chance in hell. I might as well not even think about it._

She fought the urge to look at him again so she could watch his mesmerizing dancing, but was too scared to be caught staring at him again. Instead, Alex pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked her messages. Nothing. Nothing at all.

_Why was I expecting any different?_

She stuffed the phone back in her pocket angrily just as the hit song ended and a new song began. Suddenly, a loud scraping sound startled Alex as she jumped in her seat. Jerking her head up, she saw the blonde boy pulling out a chair to sit at her table. He looked up at her with a broad, confident smile as he sat down.

"What are you doing?" she asked warily.

He shrugged nonchalantly as he casually lifted an arm and rested it on the back of the chair. "It says on the flier that the goal of this party is to meet new people, so that's what I'm doing. Why are you sitting here all by yourself?" he asked, dipping his head and trying to meet her eyes.

"Because people don't like me," she replied simply.

The boy laughed heartedly. "People don't like you? And why would that be?" he asked as he leaned forward, sarcastically interested to hear the answer.

Alex hesitated, trying to come up with a satisfying answer, then just said what came to mind. "Because I scare people."

"Oh yeah, you're very terrifying!" he joked, obviously trying to get her to smile. It almost worked, but Alex fought back. It was hard though, his smile was infectious and it was a miracle she could even talk to him without stuttering.

"Well, that might not be it, but for some reason people just…avoid me." Alex straightened up as she realized how pathetic she sounded. "It's not like I care, though," she added quickly in a halfhearted tone.

The blonde boy raised an eyebrow and lifted his chin. "Well, you don't scare me." He pushed some of his long bangs out of his eyes as Alex fought the urge to stare again. This boy seemed like some sort of prince.

The boy glanced over his shoulder, then returned his gaze to her. "So, you wanna dance?" he asked sincerely as he lifted his arm off the back of the chair and leaned forward, waiting for an answer.

Alex blinked. Nobody had ever talked to her at parties, let alone asked her to dance. She didn't even know how. "I'm not much of a dancer."

"Aw, c'mon! It's easy. Let's go, I'll show you!" he said, grabbing her hand and yanking her out of her chair before she could even answer. She wanted to open her mouth to protest, but couldn't find the words as the music beat them away and this strange boy pulled her to the dance floor.

Before they could get there, Alex had to ask something. "Who are you?" she shouted over the song.

The boy stopped towing her and turned around, realizing that they had not been properly introduced. "I'm Chance, a meister."

Alex froze at the word 'meister', then smiled for the first time at this party as she replied, "I'm Alex, a weapon."

**Well, there you go. Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! I really liked writing about those two and I'm starting on the next meister and weapon pair. Just to be clear, there will be four more introductory chapters like this, then the real story will begin. So leave me comments and stuff and tell me what you think!**


	2. Intro: Kyon and Velacia

**I'm so glad to hear that everybody is enjoying the characters so far! So here's the next addition to our cast! ****J**

"C'mon Val-chan! Let's get outta here already! The DWMA awaits us!" Kyon Dellous declared as he stormed into his partner's bedroom without knocking.

The girl he was addressing jumped slightly in her desk chair at his outburst, then sighed as she straightened her glasses in front of her blue eyes on the bridge of her nose and calmy shifted the papers she was organizing into a neat pile. Most of the leaflets were DWMA admission forms and information that she unfortunately would have to put off until later.

_God, I hate procrastination. I'm not going to let it ruin me this year. Not when I have this one-in-a-lifetime chance to attend the DWMA and escpecially not after all that I put Kyon-sama through. _

She clutched the edge of her desk with white knuckles as she glanced at her meister's face over her shoulder to see that he was sitting on her bed and practically shaking with the eager desire to leave. She smiled at him sweetly as she relaxed her fingers and said,"I told you this morning. School doesn't start until next week."

Kyon's sparkling purple eyes squinted in confusion, making his features seem even more comically naïve. "Did you say that? I must've forgotten. Oh, well!" he said as he shrugged and bounced of the bed and began rocking on his heels. "So what should we do today?"

Velacia put her finger to her chin in thought until a bright flash of yellow was caught in her peripheral vision. Glancing back to the stack of papers in the corner of her desk, she curiously leaned forward to read the information on the top neon flier. Her long black hair spilled over her should like ink as her eyes scanned the page, then lit up with possibility. "How about this freshmen party thing?" she asked as she held out the paper for him to read.

Snatching it for himself, Kyon's absorbed the details, mumbling slightly to himself as he read everything. When he was finished, he crumpled it into a ball and tossed it to the floor.

"Kyon-sama!" Velacia cried as she scrambled to pick it up and throw it in the trash.

"What? It was useless anyways. We don't need to go to a stupid party, Val-chan. It's just so people can get to know each other and find partners," he said as he crossed his muscled arms over his chest and sniffed arrogantly. "I already have a partner and it won't take long for people to remember me. Problem solved!"

Velacia blinked and her mouth fell open despite herself. "But, it's a party. I thought that you would like to-"

"Hey Val-chan," Kyon interrupted, "can we go sight-seeing today? I want to see the rest of the city before I get sick of it when we have to start going to school. Then when we get back you can steak or something for dinner!" he said with enthusiasm, but it definitely wasn't a question. His mind was already made up and there was nothing she could do about it. And technically, she hated steak with a burning passion and had tried to tell him on several occasions, but he was Kyon-sama. He could never be dealt with.

"Sure, that sounds nice," Velacia said replied with a fake smile.

"Sweet! I'll go grab some cash so we can go shopping," he said as he dashed out the door before she could blink. How he could come up with these plans on such short notice was beyond her. She put two fingers to her temples and applied pressure to try and subdue her pounding head. This always happened when she tried to do anything spontaneous. If she strayed too far from her schedule, she was sure she was going to have a panic attack. Still, this was really Kyon-sama's first time away from home and there was really no harm in indulging his excitement, right?

Straightening her gray sweater vest and skirt, she walked out of her room and down the narrow hallway to their living room to find Kyon frantically pacing. She put her hands on her hips and took a calming breath. "Is there a problem, Kyon-sama?" she asked knowingly.

Kyon ran a hand through his spiked brown hair with a concentrated expression on his face. "I'm trying to remember where I put my wallet."

"Just think back to where you last-"

"Be quiet, Val-chan! I'm trying to think here!" he said as he threw up his arms in exasperation. Velacia obliged, but silently fumed as she sat down on the old couch and crossed her legs.

_I might as well not even bother. Anything I say now won't be heard while he's off in his own little world like this. I guess I'll just sit and enjoy the show. He's bound to figure it out eventually._

Meanwhile, Kyon continued pacing as he mumbled his thoughts aloud. "Okay, let see…I had it yesterday…we took a cab…I had it in my jeans pocket after I paid the driver….we came back home…I took a shower….oh, I've got it!" he announced as he snapped his fingers in realization and jogged out of the living room and back down the hallway to his room.

"It was still in his pants pocket," Velacia predicted as she chuckled to herself and waited fro her meister to return. As she saw his brown head duck back into the room, her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she saw him frown at the open folds of his leather wallet.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

Kyon's head snapped up as he hastily shut the wallet and shoved it into his pants pocket where it was doomed to be lost in the future. "Nope, everything's just fine! C'mon, we'd better get going before traffic rush!" he said as he marched to the door, unaware of the lazers that Velacia was staring into his back.

_Does he really think I'm that stupid? I know exactly what's going on. Kyon-sama's family is still causing more trouble for us._

Velacia leaned forward and rested her chin in her hand as she was drowned in waves of guilt.

_Why did I have to break the cycle? Kyon-sama would've been just fine if I had never told him about the DWMA. I was just supposed to serve him and his family; that is what my family has done for generations, but I wanted something else. I wanted more than anything to come here and attend the DWMA. I thought it was perfect luck when it turned out that the son of the Dellous family was a meister around my age! We could go together and become the perfect team. But then again, what servant family wants a weapon for a daughter when they have finally have stability in their lives? And what family of nobilty wants their son to attend the DWMA with their servant girl._

Velacia's eyes watered slightly behind her glasses and her hands closed into fists.

_He gave up everything for me. His family, his home, his birthright, his money. Everything. Since then, I promised myself I wouldn't let him down._

"Val-chan! Are you coming?" Kyon called from outside their apartment. Velacia straightened up and pushed herself into a standing position. Walking over to the window, she lifted the beige curtains from her view to find her meister outside waiting for her, already having called a cab to take them to the market. Velacia smiled as the guilt slowly subsided and she could breathe normally. Dropping the curtain, she cleared her throat and walked towards the door to go outside and join him.

_I promised myself I wouldn't let him down. And I won't._

**So, it's a bit different from the other chapter. A little shorter. But I guess that should be natural since all the pairs are different in their own way. Hope you enjoyed it! Review and leave comments telling me what you think. Next chapter is on the way.**


	3. Intro: Elma and Riley

**Okay, is anybody else freaked out with this new website setup? I DON'T LIKE CHANGE! Haha, anywayz, here are the next pair of OCs.**

"Hey Elma, do you have any cash on you? I don't think I have enough to pay the driver," Riley Wynn asked his meister as he flipped through the money in his wallet which mostly consisted of one dollar bills.

"How much do we need?" Elma replied as she grabbed her purse and placed it on her lap before unzipping it and rooting through the mess inside.

Riley squeezed his eyes shut and did some quick math in his head. "Uh, since we took it directly from our apartment, probably about twenty bucks. I only have seven."

Elma pulled out a wad of cash and peeled off a ten and handed it to her partner, but her fingers hesitated before she grabbed more. Frowning slightly, she tried to do air math, but resorted to counting on her fingers.

Riley rolled his eyes and sighed. "We need three more dollars genius."

"Oh yeah!" Elma exclaimed as her innocent green eyes widened with realization and her fingers leafed through the wad to pick out three more ones. "There ya go!" she said happily as she handed him the money.

"Thanks," he said almost sarcastically.

As the cab slowed to a halt in the center of Death City, Elma and Riley stepped out and walked to the side of the car to pay the driver. "Enjoy your time in Death City!" the cab driver said politely before speeding away to his next customer.

Elma cheerfully waved at him until he disappeared from her sight, then was startled by a loud honking. Her partner quickly grabbed her hand and dragged her to the safety of the sidewalk away from the crazy rush hour traffic of Death City."You better watch yourself there, Elmo. This is a whole different world we're living in here. People won't hesitate to run your ass over."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" she asked with a scowl.

"How many times does it take for you to realize that the more you want me to stop, the more I feel the need to do it?"

"That's what she said."

"Very mature."

Elma giggled and pushed the fringe of her light brown hair out of her right eye and adjusted her white scarf around her neck. Since they chose today to take a look around the city that they would be living in for the next few years, she decided to dress in her favorite clothes for sightseeing. A short sleeve dress shirt and lilac skirt seemed perfect for the nice weather today and her black boots were sure to stay comfortable despite any amount of walking they might face. Glancing over at her partner, she saw that he chose to dress casually as well with his basic orange shirt and baggy jeans and his light brown hair still a messy fringe like always. Yet somehow she wondered how his hair always managed to stay in those same three spikes that slanted to the right while she had to clip the left side of her hair just so she could manage it. Oh well, just another mystery of life.

Adjusting the strap of her purse over her shoulder, she turned to address her partner. "So, where to first?"

Riley walked a few paces forward and pushed through a small crowd to get a look at an array of various signs and maps that lined the street corner. Giving each destination some thought, he waved her over to stand next to him so she could get a good look as well. With so much to choose from, it was going to be difficult to decide.

Elma's eyes scanned the locations until a particular spot caught her eyes. "Hey, what about this?" she asked as she reached forward to point to a spot on the map. Riley's gaze followed her finger and lit up instantly with excitement. The picture on the map displayed a beautiful park that looked like an amazing relaxation spot and was surrounded by tons of old buildings that more than likely held some historical significance.

"Okay, that looks good," Riley approved with a nod. "But let's try and make that our last stop and try to get some real sightseeing in first." Shoving his way back out of the surrounding tourists, he stuck his hands in his pockets and waited for his meister to join him as she spent her time grabbing a map for them to carry along. "You ready to go?" he asked when she finally made it back.

Elma stuffed the map into her purse and took out her small digital camera before closing it back up again. "Ready!" she replied cheerfully.

The rest of the day consisted of pushing through crowds and looking at some old buildings that probably would've seemed boring to anybody else, but not these two. Riley led the pair since he had the best sense of direction and informed Elma about interesting facts about the monuments they saw. Since he had been wanting to go the DWMA ever since he was a kid, he extensively researched the entirety of Death City and committed most of it to memory. Elma snapped pictures wildly and oohed and aahed at the appropriate moments. The day pretty much went smoothly except for the one moment that Elma got lost in the crowd and nearly gave her weapon a heart attack. Riley finally found her frantically talking to a police officer across the street. The reunion was a tearjerker.

When they finally ran out of buildings along with most of their energy, they decided the head for the park for some relaxation.

"Well that was productive," Riley commented as Elma pushed some buttons on her camera to review all the photos she had taken that day.

"Yeah, I had f-" her head suddenly snapped up as a sound reached her ears. The jolly sound of a children's nursery rhyme tune. "ICE CREAM!" she cried before taking off in the direction of the noise.

"Wait Elma!" Riley shouted, but she was already way ahead of him. Nothing got between that girl and her ice cream. When he finally reached her, she had already paid the man at the ice cream stall and held to cones full of the frozen dairy treat in her hands. One was cotton candy flavored and the other was mint chocolate chip, his favorite.

"Thanks!" he said as he accepted the dessert and took a big mouthful off the top, then shivered at the brainfreeze. Elma wisely took delicate licks of her ice cream and started walking down one of the cobblestone paths in the park that led to a water fountain.

They stayed silent as they devoured the treats and sat on the stone ledge of the fountain. The warm rays of the sun would have been uncomfortable in the wide open space like this, but Elma's treat cooled down their body temperature and kept the heat bearable. A nice breeze wafted some of the mist from the fountain in their direction and cooled them off further as they started munching on the cones. Elma sighed in contentment as she popped the last morsel of her waffle cone into her mouth. While she was waiting for Rley to finish his, she kicked off her boots and laid her bare feet in the soft grass, enjoying the beautiful scenery set in front of her.

The park seemed like a popular hangout spot for people of all ages on days like this. Small children played on a nearby playground while parents stood and watched while gossiping to one another. Teenagers were playing a game of ultimate frisbee in the background while some families were grilling out and set up delicious looking spreads on picnic tables. Elma grabbed a her camera and snapped a few pictures before suddenly getting an idea and placing it next to her on the stone fountain ledge and digging around in her purse.

"What are you doing now?" Riley asked curiously as he finished off his cone and licked his fingers.

Elma didn't answer as she stuck out her tongue in concentration and rooted around at the bottom of her purse until she felt the familiar coolness of metal coins against her fingertips. Smiling, she grabbed the change and held it in her palm to show her partner while gazing into his shaded green eyes expectantly. "We have to make a wish on the fountain, Riley. You need a coin to make a wish so go ahead an pick one."

Riley obeyed and chose a quarter from her palm while Elma chose a nickel and dumped the rest of the change back into her purse. "Now close your eyes and make a wish," she commanded while squeezing her own eyes shut and clutching the coin into her fist.

_Please please PLEASE let Riley become a Death Scythe someday!_

When her wish was complete, she opened her eyes and tossed the coin in the water and watched it sink to the bottom. When she looked at Riley, she saw that he had already finished. "So what did you wish for?" she asked as she turned her body to face him.

Riley held up a finger and wiggled in condescendingly. "Ah, ah, ah. You know the rules. I'll never tell!" he proclaimed with a smile.

"Oh c'mon! Just tell me!"

"Nope."

"Pretty please!"

"Hm, let me think….no!"

"I'll tell you what I wished for!"

Riley's tone suddenly changed to mock-seriousness. "You better not, otherwise it won't come true."

Elma's hands clenched into fists in her lap as if the nickel was still there and a determined expression overtook her face.

_Yes it will, no matter what. I'll make sure of it._

**Love love love this pairing! Had a lot of fun writing with them. I'm actually enjoying this process a lot more than I thought I would. Can't wait til the real story begins! So read and review and tell me what you think!**


	4. Intro: Sarah and Catori

As Catori glanced about the room to the horde of freshmen DWMA students, she smiled yet again as she adjusted her headphones over her ears. When her classmate Death the Kid had asked her to be the DJ at his house party to welcome the new students, she was skeptical at first, but now she was glad she had accepted. Her vast collection of music was almost as well-known as Soul Eater's and she had even asked Kid why he hadn't chosen him in the first place, but apparently Soul's type of music wasn't really made for this crowd, so she eventually accepted.

Catori loved going to parties and having a good time, but had never actually been a DJ before; however, as soon as she put the first disk into the stero system and heard the first cheers of the guests as they launched into epic dance sequences, she felt right at home. She was in charge of the dance floor and liked the responsibility. Being born as a weapon, she was always used to following her meister's orders letting him lead, but here she was completely in control. It felt different and she liked it.

As the current song continued to the last repetition of the chorus, she flipped through the collection of CD's she had brought in a large box, searching for something more current that the freshmen would enjoy. Her dark black eyes lit up as they fell on a disk that just came out in stores last week.

_Bingo! This one's perfect!_

Her fingers pulled it out and flipped open the case just as the song on the stero came to a close. Catori quickly popped out the disk and fed it into the stero system before the silence could last too long and cheers rose up from the crowd as the hit song began blasting through the speakers at a volume that only teenagers could tolerate. The bass was so loud, that every guest could feel it pounding in their chest and ears and some paintings hanging up on the walls shook with the stereo vibrations. Catori smiled as she crossed her arms over her chest and watched the freshmen enjoy themselves.

_Wow. Kid sure knows how to throw a good party! I didn't know he had in in him._

Though the shinigami was more commonly known for his apparent OCD, he really did have a secret talent for throwing great parties like this and he certainly had the space to do it. His house was totally decked out with symmetrical decorations that, to Kid, would look neat and tidy, but he totally made it work to seem like they just fell right into place. The lights were dimmed down to a bare minimum and colorful lights illuminated the room and pulsated to the beat of the music. The center of the room acted as the dance floor and countless teens moved together as they danced to the popular song. The majority of freshmen occupied the dance floor, but others chatted together in small groups or crowded around tables with plates of snacks in front of them. It was clear the many weapon and meister pairs had already been made and Catori's eyes dimmed slightly as she watched them happily conversing or dancing togther, already practically in sync.

Before Catori dazed out for too long, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to the source. Maka Albarn, another classmate of her's, stood with her green eyes sparkling and a huge smile on her face. She had changed from her school uniform into a simple blue dress and had taken her hair down from its routine pigtails and curled it. She actually looked great and was catching the eye of many freshmen boys in the room. Maka gestured to her ears to signal Catori to take her headphones off.

"Yes?" Catori said as she obliged.

"How are things going?" she asked, raising her voice so she could be heard over the music.

"Great! Everybody seems to be having a good time."

"That's not what I meant. I didn't have a chance to talk to you over the summer so I wanted to see how you were holding up."

Catori's face flushed slightly as she was reminded of last school year. This year she was going to be a sophomore, but she would give anything to go back to last year to be a freshman again if it meant she would get to see her partner again. When she arrived at the school last year and finally found a partner that she could match wavelengths with, she ignored the fact that he was a senior just out of eagerness. Now she was feeling the full effects of her decision after having her perfect partner graduate after just a year of working with him. To say the least, her summer had not been the best and the stress of an incoming school year with no partner had almost eaten her alive, but she did her best to remain positive.

"I'm hanging in there," Catori assured Maka as she fiddled with the headphones around her neck.

Maka tilted her head, not entirely convinced. "You know, Kid set up this party so that the freshmen could get to know eachother and get an early opportunity to find a good partner. Maybe you could do the same," she suggested.

Catori looked around the room of freshmen and bit her lip. "I don't know. I'm kinda busy right now…"

"I'll take over for you!" Maka said, not letting her make excuses. Catori sighed heavily.

_She's not gonna give up, is she? Oh well, it could hurt, right?_

"Fine," she said as she yanked the headphones from around her neck and handed them to the blonde scythe meister. "But don't get too comfortable. I'll be back," she said as she pointed a threatening finger at her classmate and mockingly narrowed her eyes.

"Got it," Maka said as she placed the DJ headphones over her own ears and gave Catori a thumbs up. Catori smiled and turned away from her DJ station to face the crowd of freshmen.

_How am I ever supposed to find somebody to talk to in this madness, let alone find a suitable partner? _

She glanced back to the safety of her DJ station, but Maka caught her eye and made a shooing motion with her hand. Catori pouted and returned her eyes to the partying frenzy. To be safe, her fingers travelled to her wrist as she yanked off one of her hair ties and pulled her long black hair hair into a low ponytail where it would be safe if things got ugly. When she was finished, she walked forward and cautiously tried to make her way around the throbbing crowd of teenagers on the dancefloor.

_I might be desperate, but not THAT desperate! I think I'll stay away from there._

Keeping to the edges of the room, Catori tried to make her way over to the snack table. After all, DJing did make a girl hungry and she missed dinner trying to put that mix of CDs together. As she slipped her way through the crowd, she eyed the dancefloor with curiosity. Some of the dancers were obviously just making fools of themselves while others danced fluidly and gracefully to the beat. Most were in large groups, but there were some dancing alone or as couple. One particular couple caught her eye as they danced together, looking like they had just partnered up. An attractive blonde boy encoraged a shy looking redhead to follow his dance movements as they moved together. The redhead didn't look like she knew what she was doing, but she still wasn't too shabby of a dancer as she smiled at the boy, looking comfortable and at ease with him.

Catori's heart clenched as she watched them, noticing the similarities between them and her when she had met her partner for the first time. At times she felt bad for taking their time working together for granted, but tried to shrug it off. After all, what's done is done and she needed to just move on. Its not like he was the only partner out there.

When Catori finally reached the snack table, she headed for the punch bowl, quickly poured herself a glass, and chugged it within seconds; after DJing for hours, she was beyond parched. Her eyes scanned over the variety of snacks before her hand reached out for the bowl of pretzels.

"What are you?"

Catori's hand froze halfway to the snacks and she looked up. A girl with red hair just below her shoulders and large blue eyes framed by small rectangular glasses stood on the opposite side of the table and looked at her expectantly with her hands held behind her back.

Catori blinked in confusion. "Excuse me?"

In a flash, the girl grabbed her hand that was still hovering over the snacks and observed her arm. "Your skin tone in really unique,"she said with interest as a British accent punctuated her words. Catori's eyes followed her's as they examined the skin on her arm. In this setting as her dark skin and hair reflected the colorful lights, she seemed to be glowing.

The strange girl released her arm and said, " I guess that wasn't the best way to phrase my question. I really meant 'what race are you'? I'm sorry if I'm being rude, just curious!" she said cheerfully as if randomly grabbing people's arms and asking about their race is just an everyday occurance.

"Oh….no that's fine, I guess. I'm actually Native American." Catori was taken aback by this girl. Nobody had ever taken an interest in her race before, or if they had they were at least more subtle about it.

"Native American, huh? That's cool," the redhead replied as she casually took a handful of pretzels from the bowl. "I'm Sarah," she said as she popped a pretzel in her mouth.

"Oh, my name's Catori."

Sarah met Catori's eyes with newfound curiosity. "So Catori, I'm guessing you can already tell where I'm from so where are you from?"

Catori hesitated, then tried to act as casual as Sarah and replied,"South Dakota," as she also snatched up a couple of pretzels, hoping that Sarah wouldn't ask anymore questions about her home.

"So what made you come here this year?"

"Oh, I'm not actually a freshman," Catori said. "This my second year at the DWMA and my partner graduated last year."

"Aw, that's too bad," Sarah sympathized. "So you're looking for a new one, then?"

"Yeah."

"Are you a weapon?"

"Yeah."

"Good, then I guess that's settled."

Catori coughed as she choked on her pretzel. "What?"

"I'm a meister and I'm looking for a partner too. I think it might be fate that brought us together! A Brit and an Indian; what a sight we would be!" she said dramatically while leaning forward over the table excitedly.

Catori laughed at the image."Hm, fate huh?" she said thoughtfully. Sarah was definitely an interesting person and they seemed to be getting along well enough already. Sarah may be a little strange at first, but Catori liked things that were different and unique.

_And this might just be my last chance to find a partner before school starts…_

Meeting Sarah's blue eyes with her black ones, Catori smiled. "Sounds like a good idea to me. Partners?" she asked as she held her hand out.

Sarah grabbed her hand without hesitation and shook it resolutely. "Partners."

**Sorr**y **if this chapter wasn't the best, but I kinda wrote it in a hurry. I wanted to post something before exam week started. So you guys know the drill. Read, review, yadda, yadda, yadda….**


	5. Intro: Nira and Derek

_This is it! This is really it! I'm finally a student at the DWMA!_

Nira Ayano practically skipped through the hallways on her way to her first class of the day, finally a proud meister at the elite academy under Lord Death himself. She had been waiting for this for practically her entire life and nothing was going to sour her good mood on this day, this absolutely perfect day. Nira's smile grew even wider as she thought about the adventures of collecting Kishin eggs and finally reaching the eventual moment when she could just get that one last witch soul to create a death scythe. Just thinking about it made her want to squeal with excitement!

_Now all I have to do is find a partner….._

While it was true that she made lots of new friends at Death the Kid's party, she was unfortunately unable to synchronize wavelengths with any of them. Slowing her pace to a casual stroll, Nira glanced around at the other freshmen in the hallway to find that most of them paired up. However, she still kept the smile plastered on her face and lifted her chin slightly. She couldn't let something as small as a nonexistant partner keep her from enjoying the classes of the DWMA. Okay….so maybe the problem was a little bigger than that. If she didn't find a partner, she would most likely get left behind in her classes, but those things were still out of her control, so Nira would just have to roll with it and keep searching.

Nira's silver feline eyes flashed with determination as she rounded a corner in the hallway, but suddenly her body was thrown back as she ran into some unknown object. She grimaced as she landed on the floor and rubbed her hip which seemed to have taken most of the damage from the fall. Curiously, she raised her head to see who she had collided with. A girl with long straight black hair and blue eyes with glasses slightly crooked from the collision also sat on the floor with a shocked expression on her face, still trying to figure out what had happened. Nira's eyes widened as she looked around and saw that some students were gathering around and snickering, watching the scene unfold with interest.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Nira apologized to the girl as she picked herself off the ground, but froze before she could offer help. Standing behind the other girl on the floor was a muscular looking boy with spiky brown hair and purple eyes which flashed to Nira as he offered his own hand to help his friend up. "Are you okay, Val-chan?"

"It's alright Kyon-sama. I'm just fine," the girl assured him as she dusted off her grey skirt and straightened her glasses.

Kyon turned to Nira and lashed out as if he hadn't heard her reassurances before Nira could open her mouth to apologize again. "Did you hurt her? Nobody hurts Val-chan!"

This time the girl put a hand on his shoulder and meet his eyes with her own. "I said I'm fine Kyon-sama. There's no need to make a scene."

Kyon straightened up and unclenched his fists as he put a broad smile on his face like nothing had happened. "Why isn't there a need to cause a scene? These punks need to know who they're messing with if they ever try to hurt us!" he said as he gestured to the crowd and laughed arrogantly as he laced his hands behind his head.

Nira stood there and played with her hands awkwardly before she chose to speak up again. Sh felt a bit safer now that this Kyon guy had calmed down. "I really am sorry. I should've paid more attention to where I was going."

The black haired girl smiled warmly before waving her apology off. "It's no big deal; accidents happen all the time," she said before looking pointedly at the boy standing next to her. Nira returned her smile, grateful that she hadn't made any enemies on the first day of school, then glanced worriedly at the hyper looking boy standing next to her.

_Why do I get the feeling that this guy is going to be a huge troublemaker?_

Nira took the opportunity to introduce herself properly. "My name's Nira Ayano."

The girl gestured to herself and Kyon to introduce themselves as well. "This is Kyon Dellous and I'm his weapon partner Velacia Haze."

"Oh, so you guys are partners already?"

Kyon unlaced his fingers and put his hands on his hips with his chest puffed out in pride. "Yep! Always have been, always will be. Right Val-chan?"

"Right." Velacia glanced around Nira before raising a delicate eyebrow. "So, have you not found a partner yet?"

"Um, no not yet. But I will soon!" she declared, hoping secretly that the words would turn out to be true. After all, its not like she could be 100% confident all the time.

Velacia opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of the warning bell sounding over the school speaker system. "Uh-oh, we'd better get going Kyon-sama. We don't want to be late!"

"Wait," Nira said with an outstretched hand, not wanting her new friends to leave yet. "Uh, which class are you going to?"

"Oh, what was it called again? Moon….something…" Kyon said as he scratched his head thoughtfully.

"Crescent Moon," Velacia affirmed.

"Cool! That's where I'm going!" Nira replied cheerfully. "Do you want to walk together?"

"Okay," Velacia replied with a smile.

"Eh, sure," Kyon shrugged nonchalantly as he turned on his heel to begin walking down the hallway again. Velacia followed suit, then motioned for Nira to follow them since Kyon definitely wasn't going to wait for her to catch up.

Nira grinned, then scurried to catch up with them and walk at their fast pace. "I hope this class will be fun," she commented hopefully.

"I heard that the teacher's a nut case!" Kyon added loudly.

"Kyon-sama!"

"What, I'm just saying what I've heard."

"It's still rude to talk about it that loud in the middle of the hallway. You never know who could be listening."

As Velacia continued to scold Kyon about his bad manners, Nira searched her memory as she struggled to remember the teacher's name. Finally, as they approached the classroom and filed in with the rest of the students, it hit her as she stared at the man sitting in the desk chair at the front of the room.

_Dr. Franken Stein._

She had heard rumors about his bizarre teaching methods and other strange habits, but he was still one of the greatest meisters ever to graduate at the DWMA, so he still reserved some respect in her book. She would just have to hold off on judging him before she actually got to know him….even if he did have a giant screw sticking out of his head. After all, he just might end up suprising her.

"Nira! Over here!" Velacia called from the rows of seats. She and Kyon were already sitting down and had an empty desk waiting for her at the top row.

Nira smiled, then jogged up the stairs and scooted by the other students to reach them. "Thanks!" she said as she took off her backpack, placed it by her feet, then laced her fingers on top of her desk. She noticed that the desk on her other side was empty, so while they waited for everybody else to arrive, Nira searched the crowd of students trying to find others who came in alone and looked partnerless.

_I have to find somebody soon if I want to make a death scythe someday. I just have to!_

As the final bell rang, the last trickle of students came in and took their seats while Dr. Stein rolled over in his chair to close the door. The classroom volume went from idle chatter level to complete silence as he reached into a pocket of his labcoat, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it before placing it in between his lips and inhaling. His shoulders relaxed slightly and his eyes glanced about the room as he examined each of us sitting at our desks.

"Hello class. My name is Dr. Franken Stein, but you can call me Professor Stein for now," he said as he blew out a cloud of smoke and crossed his arms over the top of the desk chair and rested his chin on them. "I see that most of you have already paired up. That's good. Finding your meister or weapon partner is one of the most important steps to becoming successful here. In some cases, your partner will be your best friend and your lifeline. You need to learn to rely on them and trust them at all costs. There is no room for error when it comes to your life. Understand?"

As the class nodded seriously, Nira gulped as she personally took in the entirety of his words. He was right though; your partner is everything here and she hadn't even found one yet. What was she going to do?

Professor Stein nodded as he asessed our reactions. "Good. Now before we begin-"

Suddenly, Stein was cut off as the classroom door opened and everybody's heads turned to see who it was. A boy with messy fiery red hair slunk in through the door with his hands shoved into his pockets and a bored expression on his face and showing in his copper eyes. He leaned against the door frame as he smirked at everybody's reaction to his tardiness and gestured to his shirt at them which was green with a yellow Mario mushroom and yellow printed words that read 'Get a Life'.

"It seems we have a tardy. And on the first day of school, too. This is sure to be promising," Stein commented as he took another drag of his cigarette and started turning the screw in his head, causing some of the students to cringe. "I'll let it slide today. Hurry up and find a seat."

"Sure," he said as he shrugged and scanned the classroom for and empty desk. His copper eyes rested on the empty seat beside Nira as he smiled, causing her to blush even though she knew the smile wasn't really for her.

_Or was it?_

He took his time making his way up the stairs and slipping behind the others students before he finally took a seat beside Nira and slouched casually.

"Alright, I guess we'll start with roll call," Stein announced as he rolled back over to his desk to pick up a clipboard.

"Elma Annette?"

"Here."

"Nira Ayano?"

"Here!" Nira answered as she raised her hand slightly in the air.

"Alexis Brady?"

"Here."

During the rest of the roll call, Nira struggled not to stare at this boy sitting next to her. He actually had to the nerve to show up late on the very first day of school; he didn't even care! He seemed like the kind of guy that she knew she should avoid, yet she was mysteriously drawn to him. Taking a quick chance, she snuck a peak at him, but was caught as he met her curious gaze.

"See something you like?" he asked with a smirk.

Nira blushed as she tried to come up with a reasonable reply. "Uh, no. I just…I was just wondering why you were so late to class."

"I slept in."

"Don't you have an alarm clock?"

"Nope."

Nira bit her lip slightly and hesitated before asking her next question. "Uh, doesn't your partner wake you up?"

"Don't have one."

Nira sighed with relief on the inside, but tried to remain casual as she continued the conversation. "Why not?"

The boy chuckled slightly. "Nobody can stand me!"

"Well…I don't think you're that bad."

"Huh, now there's definitely a first."

Nira played with a strand of her long brown hair. "Do you….want a partner?"

The boy's copper eyes widened slightly. "YOU want to be my partner?" he asked incredulously.

"Are you a weapon?"

"Yeah."

"Then, yes I do," she squeaked.

The boy stayed silent for a few seconds and then said, "But we don't even know each other."

Nira smiled then stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Nira Ayano."

The boy shook his head in disbelief then returned her smile and shook her outstretched hand. "Derek Hallack."

"Okay, now we know each other."

Derek laughed which resulted in a blur of something being thrown through the air towards them. Tilting their heads up, they saw two scalpels embedded in the wood just above their heads.

"Rule number one of my class," Professor Stein said, "is no talking."

"Yes sir!" they both replied while ducking down in their seats. When he was satisfied that they had gotten the message, he nodded and continued the roll call.

"So is that a 'yes'?" Nira whispered to Derek quietly. Derek considered her offer for a few seconds, then nodded with a smile.

Nira felt like cheering on top of her table in celebration, but was brought back to reality as Professor Stein slammed his clipboard on the top of his desk and smiled with an evil looking glint in his eyes. "Okay, now that that's finished, let's begin the year with some fun stuff. Our first assignment of the year will be a dissection lab!"

**LOLZ at Stein. I actually wouldn't mind if he was my teacher, though cuz I don't really mind dissection. Well, anyways NOW ALL THE CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED AND PAIRED UP! I hope you all are satisfied. Now as the intro comes to a close, the real story begins! Duh duh duh! So read and review and tell me what you think. Words of encouragement or any constructive criticism are always welcome and appreciated. Thanks guys!**


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